September 28, 2012

My very good friend Naomi has asked if people would be kind enough to send a card to wish her young son Michael a speedy recovery after surgery.

Michael is Autistic and is due to have an operation on both his feet to help him to walk properly as he gets older. If you can make a card for Michael it would make his day as he loves bright and cheerful things.

Don't worry if it takes you a while to make it and send it Naomi as he is not going into hospital until November.

If you would like to participate then please visit Naomis' blog Creative Bug On The Loose and she will give you her address to send the card. Please tell her that Christina sent you and then she will know that this is a genuine request.

I thank you for your kindness as Naomi is such a warm and caring mum and Michael will adore the cards he gets.

September 27, 2012

I have had a lot of fun making them and although they can be a bit fiddly to do ... they sure are pretty.

I decorated this one with Red Roses created from Spiral Blossom 3 and the leaves are from the Foliage set
The pictures show you the top, inside and side views and with this one I have threaded the red organza ribbon through the flaps.

Over the weekend I will do a video of how to make the box .... so get your self a pretty piece of good quality, double sided paper/ light card.

Gather some flowers, leaves and ribbons and we will make the box together.

This one is slightly smaller than the pink box because of the added lace.

But I will show you how to get the lid correct for whatever size your box ends up.

You can see the ribbon threaded through the flaps at the top of the box and I have attached a box to each side,

They have been topped with a gemstone from Want2Scrap and the lid has a string of gemstones around each edge.

It really is much prettier in real life than the photo shows and they are quite a good sized box to send a gift in to someone really special.

The White box on the left is the largest and for that I have used some 14"x14" Centura Pearl card from Crafters Companion

September 26, 2012

This pretty box was from instructions that I found in an old magazine and of course I had to try it.

It uses a good quality double sided paper that is quite thick ... and lots of different folds.

Then once made it can be dressed up any way you want and it is not a bad sized box either.

I added the lid to it and dressed it with the butterflies from the Les Papillion set from Spellbinders

The flowers on the top are made from felt and I used the Spiral Blossoms 3 to make three in pretty shades of pink.The Organza Ribbon is tied in a large bow with a Diamante gemstone in the centre.I have added smaller bows around each side and added the gemstones to them also.Around the edges of each flap I have glued some vintage crochet lace before gluing them in place.

On the lid I have edged it with La Creme Pearls from Want2Scrap and also along the body line of each of the butterflies.

Because the paper was double sided it makes the inside of the box just as pretty as the outside.

September 23, 2012

We took a walk along the promenade the other day ... which is not something we do very often.

But it was a lovely day and so we decided to take a look at one of the newest features to our sea front, and there have been quite a few over the last few years.

Millions of pounds have been spent trying to make Blackpool an even bigger visitor attraction.

And the sunshine always brings the people out to walk the front just as we did.

This is the feature we went to see and it is different jokes, sayings and song verses... but it is all on the floor.

You can walk over it all and read the sayings and some of them are very funny.

We bought ice cream as we wandered around for an hour or more.

It is certainly a very cosmopolitan place and it does draw the visitors in.

Even more so when we have our annual light display otherwise known as the "Illuminations" and that brings folks in from all over the world.

We also have an annual World Fireworks Competition and that is a free show on the Promenade over four weeks culminating in a Winner being selected at the end of that time. Some of the displays are fantastic.

But of course our biggest attraction is our tower which is now well over 100 years old.

You can go to the very top of the building and it has a glass walk way if you are brave enough to try it.

Inside there is an aquarium, ballroom and circus ... as well as places to take the weight of your feet and people watch.

Always a fascinating pass time....

Especially here where people are on holiday and enjoying the atmosphere of this very unique place.

September 17, 2012

So for this one I thought I would use the traditional Christmas colours and stick to red and green... and here is the card.

I have used some Holly backing paper in each of the opposite corners and it is from the Christmas Collection CD from Crafters Companion

I have cut the paper across the corner and embossed the cream card that is underneath and shows in the centre panel.

I have covered the join with some self adhesive red and gold brocade ribbon with Christmas trees on it.

The Spellbinders I have used are the Holly Accents, Floral Oval and the Fancy Tags 3 for the sentiment, Poinsettia again ... I love the look that this flower gives to cards, and the red card swirl is from the Belle Rose set.

I have used the matching "Bling" for the Tags and some black pearly "Finesse" swirls and both are from Want2Scrap

September 11, 2012

I thought I would have a change from Christmas cards with this one and I brought out the Spellbinders.

I have mixed and matched many of the ones that I have and I really like the look of this card.

The colour is a soft teal and cream and the oragnza ribbon matches the card perfectly.

In the centre of the bow I have added a Vintage button and the Decorative Hatpin is pushed throught the centre of the knot.

The Spellbinders are in BOLD to highlight the ones I have used for this card.

The background has been run through the Paisley M-Bossabilities folder and then edged with the Persian Accents borders on each side.
I have cut Floral Ovals three times using the largest and the second largest dies and added them in Teal at the back ... with the two smallest on either side and the largest in the centre.

Labels 20 has been cut and embossed and raised on foam pads to the centre of the card. Perisan Accents corners have been placed on either side of the label.

Another Floral Oval has been added in Teal to the back of the sentiment, which is cut in cream from the Persian Accents.
The Pearly Swirl is Le Creme Finesse from Want2Scrap and I have curled it down the side of the card and around the "With Love" sentiment.

And the reason it is curled around the sentiment is because ... I slipped with the wording and added a mark (idiot!) .... so covered it up with the Swirl.

I have tried to think of all the ways that could be adapted so that cards can be displayed in a very pretty way by the recipient.

I have covered the "A"Frame that I have used for quite some time and then moved on to ways to use the beautiful ornate stands that I discovered last week

These can be made out of any card that goes with your colour scheme and I have given you some tips on what to do to make sure that your cards don't fall over.

I got these little stands from Ebay and the link will take you to the straight to the page

And then I have also shown you how to make the most of your Spellbinders to create a frame that will be glued to the back of the card.

You can adapt many of the dies that you may already have in your collection as long as it fits the back of your card.

And just in case you are saying that you don't have any Spellbinders or you don't want to buy the little card stand there is also a way that you can freehand cut a stand ... and so there is no excuse at all not to give this a go.

September 09, 2012

I have been busy playing again and this time I have used the Spellbinders Heirloom Ornament to create more decorations that could be suitable for Christmas.

These are quite big as I have used the largest die in the set but they are cerainly a statement piece.

I have added Glitter, feathers, tassels and ribbons as well as my Diamante from Want2Scrap

This selection is showing some of the ideas that I came up with and the video has been added to the website .... here is the page ... Spellbinders Heirloom Ornament

The second ornament from the left has been decorated with flowers and butterflies as a more summery theme and I also think that this could be suitable as a Bridal arrangement and made to look really luxurious.

This one has red gingham ribbon for the carrying handle and it has been glittered with Glamour Dust.

I went on to add the wine coloured feathers and some wooden snowflakes as a bit more embellishment to this one... it is the second from the right in the picture.

September 07, 2012

Here is one of the fun Spellbinder dies that are available from Save On Hobbies﻿ and this one is called Retro Mod Clocks.
I have used it to make this New Home card and added in tiny jewels, for the numbers on the clock face, from Want2Scrap

It has all been matted and layered and the cream card has been embossed to add some texture.

The ribbon is from my stash and matched the colour scheme perfectly.

The same pink card that has been used for the matting has also been made into a frame for the back of the card to make it stand ... and is one of the ways that will be in this weekends video.

Many of you have been over to Save On Hobbies and bought the incredibly cheap dies that are for sale. I also know that some of you in the UK have had an extra charge added to the cost before you can get your parcel from the post office.

I have discussed this with the owner of Save On Hobbies (Scott) and he is deeply concerned that this has happened, and he has made some changes to the way the parcels are being sent out to hopefully solve this problem in the future ... and so keep the cost of the dies at a really good bargain price.

But I have to say that it is neither Scotts ... nor my fault that this charge is applied ... it is an import duty by Customs and way beyond our control.

I have had a few emails telling me that I should have warned everybody about this charge but I can honestly say that I did not know about it or I would. And I have also had to pay this charge on one occasion.

So for now please be aware that if you order the dies there may be an extra cost added that needs to be taken into account .... but having said that ... even with this extra they are still an incredible price and well worth considering as you build up your Spellbinder collection.

And if you are in the USA then postage is free for you .... aren't you lucky ????

September 05, 2012

Every time I make a video tutorial I am always concerend that people will think that I am talking down to them ... and as I have explained in the past that is not my intention.

But never the less I go ahead and make a film.

Over the weekend I made a very short tutorial on some of the things about buying and using card that beginners find confusing.

And I made this based on some of the emails that I get with questions like ...
What size card do you use? How thick is the card that you use? What is an A4? How do I fold card without it cracking along the spine? How do I add an insert? What are the weights of card? What do you use to print or stamp on? What card do you use to make flowers?

So I thought I would answer all these questions in one go.... and then I wondered if I had done the right thing... and I waited for the response.

Within hours I got the response ... and the comments that I have had have been very humbling.

So many people have emailed me or left comments on YouTube that they have found the information so useful and learned tips and tricks that they didn't know.

All I can say is ... if you are a seasoned cardmaker then please don't be offended by the information ... and if you are new then I hope it has helped in some small way ... and if you left me a comment on YouTube or took the time to email me and let me know that you enjoyed what I had done then THANK YOU so very much.

And if you just didn't like it ... then I blame it all on my "Film Crew" it's ALL his fault!!!

September 04, 2012

This is more from the magical pencil of Mo Manning and this is the "Back to School" images. I bought all four in the set and they are boy and girl with curly hair and boy and girl with straight hair and they will cover just about any thing you want.

I have coloured them with Spectrum Noir pens from Crafters Companion and I added two of them together for effect.

I hate cutting out with a vengence ... and so I have left a thin border around each figure.

I have used Pinflair Glur Gel to give the girl image some height and that way it looks as if he is in front of her ... hurrying off to school.